The news that an Inspector dispatched from the imperial court was coming sent Anxi County's government office into an instant state of unease and tension.
The Inspector arriving this time was especially notorious for his viciousness and greed.
“The Inspector is coming… He certainly won’t let us off easy.”
Even County Assistant Zhao Xun wore a worried expression. Though he had initially regarded Liu Bei unfavorably, after the waterway project, he had acknowledged her abilities and character—as well as Minjun’s extraordinary talents—and the two sides had settled into a cooperative relationship.
“Please don’t worry, Assistant Zhao.”
Liu Bei tried to reassure him.
“If we haven’t done anything wrong, Heaven will help us.”
But even her voice carried a trace of anxiety. She knew that innocence meant nothing against a corrupt official who demanded bribes and deliberately looked for faults. Minjun’s heart felt heavy too.
‘So it’s finally happening. In the Romance, Yide explodes, beats the Inspector, and Liu Bei abandons her office and leaves. In the official history, Liu Bei herself beats him… But things have to be different this time!’
He had no intention of letting Liu Bei lose the first official post she had worked so hard to obtain. Nor could he betray the expectations of the people of Anxi County.
Several days later.
The Inspector made a grand and noisy entrance into Anxi County. An expensive silk robe, a body swollen with fat, a chin arrogantly raised, and narrow eyes squinting as if trying to see straight through everyone he faced. He was a man whose appearance radiated greed and arrogance at a glance.
“So you’re Liu Xuande, the County Commandant of Anxi County?”
The moment he arrived at the county office, the Inspector spoke down to Liu Bei as if she were a criminal.
“You’re prettier than the rumors said. But how can a woman possibly handle the important affairs of this county? Looking at you, I’d say you’ve been siphoning off county funds to indulge in luxury!”
“Inspector! That’s going too far!”
Zhang Fei finally lost her temper and shouted. If Guan Yu hadn’t hurriedly grabbed her arm, she looked ready to charge at him that very instant. Liu Bei bit her lip, suppressing her rage.
“My lord, since taking office, I have worked to govern the county honestly, thinking only of the people. I have never once pursued personal gain.”
“Hmph! Honest? That’s enough to make a dog laugh!”
The Inspector snorted.
“You can’t fool my eyes! I’ll uncover every bit of wealth you’ve siphoned off behind my back! Bring me all the county ledgers and the warehouse keys at once!”
The Inspector demanded the ledgers without reason and began inspecting the warehouses. But he couldn’t find even a speck of dust on the incorruptible Liu Bei. So he began acting even more viciously.
“Hmm… The ledgers are clean enough. But this could just be an elaborate deception.”
The Inspector spoke with a sinister smile.
“I hear you carried out a waterway project not long ago. There are widespread rumors that you forcibly conscripted the people and embezzled the construction funds. Bring me all the relevant documents and witnesses. I’ll uncover the truth!”
It was an absurd accusation. The waterway project had been carried out through the people’s voluntary participation, and Liu Bei and Minjun had even dipped into their own personal funds to support it.
“My lord! That is clearly slander!”
Liu Bei protested, but the Inspector had no intention of listening. He continued pressuring Liu Bei, blatantly demanding a show of “sincerity.” His intention was obvious: unless she offered a bribe large enough to satisfy him, he would find some way—any way—to pin a crime on her.
“By the way, who is that man?”
The Inspector looked toward Minjun. Thinking that he absolutely could not give the Inspector any excuse to find fault with him, Minjun answered respectfully.
“I am Kang Jamyeong, and I handle administrative duties under County Commandant Liu.”
The Inspector licked his lips faintly as he spoke.
“Really? For a man, you certainly look like quite the little girl.”
Minjun truly realized for the first time that Beloved by All wasn’t entirely a good thing. He gave an awkward smile.
“Haha…”
“Come to my bedchamber tonight. I believe we have something important to discuss.”
After hearing that, Minjun began wringing every last bit of knowledge from the future and intelligence from his present circumstances in an effort to drive the Inspector out as quickly as possible.
That night.
A heavy silence filled Liu Bei’s official residence.
“I can’t take this anymore!”
Zhang Fei slammed her fist onto the table, seething with rage.
“Sister! I’m going to go twist that pig’s head right off! Did you see him peeping at Jamyeong?”
“Yide! Calm down for now! If we start trouble here, we’ll be the ones branded traitors!”
Guan Yu desperately tried to stop her. Liu Bei spoke with a deep sigh.
“Little sister. I understand how you feel… but Yunchang is right. We can’t kneel before a treacherous man like that. It would be better to abandon this filthy office and leave.”
Then Liu Bei turned to Minjun.
“You say you’re not feeling well tonight, too. Whatever you do, don’t go to that man’s quarters.”
“No, Sister! It’s too soon to give up!”
Minjun, who had been devising ways to drive the Inspector away since daytime, finally stepped forward. His gaze was more serious than ever.
“I’ll… do whatever I can.”
“Hm?”
Liu Bei stared at Minjun in surprise.
“How exactly…?”
“Confronting him head-on would be foolish. A man like that requires a method suited to him.”
Minjun smiled meaningfully.
“We’re going to give the Inspector a very special inspection tour of Anxi County. One that makes him want to run away on his own two feet.”
Minjun explained his plan, describing the Inspector’s weaknesses that he had already investigated.
“The man called the Inspector is, from what I’ve heard…”
Drawing on knowledge from the future and the intelligence he possessed in the present, he laid out his plan for Liu Bei and her sisters.
“But… isn’t that far too dangerous? If something goes wrong…”
Liu Bei was still worried.
“Please don’t worry, Sister.”
Minjun spoke confidently.
“I’ll minimize my direct involvement. With the help of the county officials and people who follow me, I’ll make everything look like a string of coincidences and bad luck. The Inspector won’t even realize that he’s been targeted.”
Seeing Minjun’s confidence, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei remained half-convinced, but ultimately decided to trust his plan.
The bedchamber in the official residence assigned to the Inspector.
“Inspector, Master Kang Jamyeong has arrived.”
“Send him in.”
The Inspector stared deeply at Minjun with an utterly repulsive look on his face.
“You’re here? Why are you so late? Come over here.”
“You’re an impatient one, Inspector. Just a moment—what’s that?”
Pretending to be startled by something beneath the bed, Minjun opened the pouch he had been holding and released several centipedes under it.
“C-Centipedes!”
—Skitter, skitter.
The centipedes wriggled out from beneath the bed.
“Aaaaaaaagh! B-Bugs!”
The Inspector shrieked as if he were on the verge of fainting. Minjun calmly called for the attendants and had them catch the centipedes.
“You there! Catch those centipedes at once!”
The attendants came running at his screams and had to make a full-blown commotion, wielding brooms as they chased after the bugs. Humiliated, the Inspector dismissed Minjun for the time being.
“Just go for today. You must have been startled, too.”
“Understood.”
[Stratagem executed: Provoking fear!] [Title acquired: Stratagem Master (Novice)!] * Stratagem Master (Novice): You have begun to manifest the ability to read beneath the surface of a situation, identify your opponent’s weaknesses, and devise and execute strategies to exploit them. Your ingenuity can sometimes produce more effective results than a straightforward approach. Success rate for stratagem- and subterfuge-related actions slightly increased.
The next day, the Inspector appeared with badly swollen eyes. Minjun approached him with a concerned expression.
“My lord! You look awful. Did any more centipedes appear during the night?”
The Inspector forced himself to act as though he was fine.
“I’m fine! Take me to the next inspection site at once. And tonight, let’s have the conversation we couldn’t have yesterday.”
The Inspector tried to maintain his dignity, but his voice trembled. Minjun led him to a place so far away and difficult to reach that he absolutely had to go on horseback. Even the saddle on the horse he rode had, “by coincidence,” lost nearly all its padding and was hard as a rock. Naturally, this was the result of a small favor Minjun had asked of the stable keeper.
“Clatter! Clatter!”
The road was rough, and the horse kept jolting. Each time, the Inspector clutched his lower back and groaned.
“Ow… my back…”
The Inspector endured it at first because he wanted to stay close to Minjun. But once they barely reached the inspection site, Minjun didn’t let him rest.
“My lord, you’ll need to bend down and examine these important records carefully.”
“My lord, the calligraphy on that plaque up there is truly magnificent. Why don’t you go closer for a look?”
Minjun kept creating situations that forced the Inspector to bend over or stand for long periods. Eventually, the Inspector’s back cried out.
“Good grief… my back… I can’t go any farther! Let’s turn back right now!”
[Stratagem executed: Exploiting a physical weakness!] [Stratagem Master (Novice) title experience gained!] [Intelligence stat experience gained!]
That evening, Liu Bei reluctantly held a modest welcome banquet at Minjun’s suggestion. The Inspector sat with a deep scowl because of his aching back. Then the steaming meat soup he supposedly loved most was served.
‘Ahem… I need to eat this and get my strength back.’
The Inspector was just about to lift his spoon when—
“Plop!”
A large spider suddenly dropped straight from the ceiling into his bowl of meat soup. The spider thrashed on the surface of the broth. It had fallen after a servant, following Minjun’s instructions, had placed it on the ceiling beforehand.
The Inspector was struck speechless. Every eye around him turned toward his bowl of soup. A perfectly timed spider dive!
The Inspector’s face flushed bright red, then repeatedly went pale. It was the moment his precious “dignity” drowned alongside the spider in the meat soup.
“You… such insolence…! Remove this spider at once!”
He bellowed, but the banquet’s atmosphere had already turned icy. In the end, he stormed out, claiming that he had lost his appetite.
[Stratagem executed: Damaging dignity and provoking displeasure!] [Stratagem Master (Novice) title proficiency increased!] [Politics stat experience gained!]
That night.
Consumed by all the humiliation and unpleasantness he had suffered during the day, along with his fear of bugs, the Inspector had completely forgotten about Minjun. He tossed and turned alone, unable to sleep.
“Sniff… whimper… sob…”
Then the mournful sobbing of a woman began to echo from somewhere. The sound seemed to be coming from near the window of the residence where the Inspector was staying. It sounded exactly like a vengeful ghost wailing.
“…!! W-Who’s there? Who’s out there?”
The Inspector pulled the blanket over his head and screamed. His attendants rushed out and searched the area, but no one was there. Yet whenever the Inspector tried to return to bed, the ghostly sobbing started up again. Several county clerks recruited by Minjun took turns hiding behind the wall all night, providing “special sound effects.” The Inspector spent the entire night trembling in terror, unable to close his eyes.
The next day, he looked absolutely wretched. His eyes were hollow, and his dark circles hung nearly to his jaw. In the end, just three days after arriving in Anxi County, the Inspector canceled his entire inspection schedule and declared that he would return to Luoyang. He didn’t want to spend even one more day in this cursed, unlucky place.
“…I’m feeling too ill to continue the inspection. I’ll have to return now.”
Even as he left, perhaps out of one last scrap of pride, he couldn’t bring himself to mention anything resembling “sincerity.”
“Oh, my lord! You must be terribly distressed! Please return to Luoyang and rest comfortably while you recover!”
Minjun ran out after him to the very end, pretending to see him off with concern. Inside, he was cheering, Serves you right! The Inspector seemed unwilling even to look at Minjun’s face. He hurried into his carriage and fled Anxi County as if running for his life. The moment he left, cheers and long-suppressed laughter erupted throughout the county office.
“Good riddance to that corrupt official!” “Long live Master Kang Jamyeong! He’s our hero!”
Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were thrilled, yet they also couldn’t help marveling at Minjun’s outrageous strategy.
“Jamyeong…”
Liu Bei looked at Minjun with a complicated expression.
“Honestly… thanks to you, we made it through a major crisis. Thank you. But… we can’t keep using methods like this forever. We must walk the righteous path.”
“Yes, Sister. I’ll remember that.”
Minjun lowered his head.
“This time, it couldn’t be helped.”
“Bwahaha! Jamyeong! You’ve turned into a complete con artist! You toyed with that snake of a man! I love it!”
Zhang Fei enthusiastically patted Minjun on the back as she praised him. Guan Yu also spoke with a pleased smile.
“Master Jamyeong’s wisdom… can be sharper than a sword at times.”
Her eyes held deep trust and respect for Minjun.
[Emergency Quest: Stop the Inspector’s Threat! — Complete!] [Objective achieved: Drove the Inspector out of Anxi County without armed conflict] [Massive EXP burst! Level up! (Lv. 4 -> Lv. 5)] [Reputation +++++ (Jizhou and the northern Central Plains), “The Cunning Strategist Kang Minjun” reputation enhanced!] [All stats +1 bonus!] [Achievement unlocked: Schooling the Snake-Like Inspector!] [Intelligence stat increased by 2! (25 -> 27)] [Politics stat increased by 2! (30 -> 32)] [Title upgraded from “Stratagem Master (Novice)” to “Stratagem Master (Intermediate)”!] * Stratagem Master (Intermediate): You are skilled at achieving your desired results through subtle strategies and psychological warfare. Stratagem and subterfuge success rates increased, detection probability decreased, and ability to read your opponent’s psychology improved.
Minjun let out a relieved sigh as he checked the system messages.
‘I reached Level 5! My Intelligence and Politics went up a ton.’
[Kang Minjun] Courtesy Name: Jamyeong Level: 5 Leadership: 13 (+1 from level-up) Might: 7 (+1 from level-up) Intelligence: 27 (+2 quest reward, +1 from level-up) => 28 (+1 item) Politics: 30 (+2 quest reward, +1 from level-up) => 32 (+2 items) Charisma: 104 (+1 from level-up) => 106 (+2 items) (Beloved by All) (Trait and title omitted)
‘Nice! Level 5, Intelligence 28, Politics 34! I’m becoming pretty useful!’
He was satisfied with his growth, but Liu Bei’s final words continued to bother him.
‘The righteous path… She’s right. I definitely can’t rely on cheap tricks like these forever.’
He thought it was an issue he would have to consider more deeply going forward. And although he was satisfied with his growth, he also realized something. This had only been a temporary fix. As long as the corrupt imperial court existed, a second or third Inspector could appear at any time. Anxi County was simply too small. He needed greater power. His premonition was not wrong.
Several days later, an absurd edict arrived from the imperial court stripping Liu Bei of her position as County Commandant. No one knew what report the Inspector had submitted after returning, or whether some other treacherous official had manipulated matters, but the result was the same.
‘I can only use shallow tricks for now, so I can’t change the larger course of events.’
Minjun felt the limits of his attributes acutely.
“So… this is how it ends.”
Liu Bei gave a bitter smile. But this time, she did not despair. She had two dependable sworn younger sisters by her side—and more than anything, a trustworthy younger brother, Kang Jamyeong, who could overcome any crisis through the most extraordinary methods imaginable.
“It’s all right, Sister Xuande.”
Minjun looked at Liu Bei and spoke.
“It only means the time has come for us to step into a wider world. Our real story begins now!”
Liu Bei looked over the faces of the other three and found courage once more. Without regret, she returned the seal of office and said farewell to the people of Anxi County, with whom she had grown close. They were empty-handed once again, but their hearts burned hotter and brighter with hope than ever before. Toward a new journey, they set out on the road once more.